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Bush Set to Veto House-Passed Bill That Would Help America’s Workers |
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When American workers’ jobs are shipped overseas because of the flawed U.S. trade policies that encourage employers to move offshore, the workers’ primary helping hand to get back on their feet is the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. But as Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, says:
The painful truth is that the current TAA program is not working.
Today, the House, by a bipartisan 264-157 margin approved a bill (H.R. 3920) that reauthorizes and overhauls TAA, makes improvements to current federal-state unemployment insurance (UI) system and strengthens the 1988 plant closing laws.
But yesterday, the Bush administration said it would veto the bipartisan bill, as Bush did when he vetoed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), despite its strong bipartisan support in the Senate and House.
TAA’s main mission is to provide training for new careers to workers who lose their jobs because of trade. As Rangel says of the bill (H.R. 3920):
We must be certain that, as our nation moves forward with expanded trade, we send a clear bipartisan signal that it won’t be at the expense of American workers. This legislation expands opportunities for training and investment, which will combat the negative effects of globalization and help eliminate the growing perception that trade is not working for American workers.
The bill doubles the current TAA funding level from $220 million a year to $440 million. Over the years, many eligible workers have been denied TAA benefits because of funding shortfalls. In a letter to House members urging support for the bill, UAW Legislative Director Alan Reuther says:
This change alone will make an enormous positive change by doubling the number of trade—dislocated workers who will be able to receive training for a new career. Thousands of eligible workers in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and other states have been turned away from training each year because of insufficient funding.
Also, the bill expands TAA eligibility to public- and service-sector workers who lose their jobs because of trade, and prohibits states from privatizing the process to determine TAA eligibility and how benefits are distributed. Says AFSCME Legislative Director Charles Loveless:
It is important not only as a way to ensure accountability and transparency in the operation of the program, but also as a buffer against the [Bush] administration’s intention to collapse TAA into the Workforce Investment Act dislocated worker program and open the program up to private companies and agencies.
The bill also improves and streamlines eligibility requirements, extends the deadline for workers to enroll in training, in some cases allows for an entire industry—as opposed to a single company—to be certified as trade-impacted and those workers TAA eligible and improves some of the health care coverage tax credits for dislocated workers.
In boosting the Unemployment Insurance program, the bill provides $100 million a year for states to improve the administration of their UI and employment services systems. It also allows states to draw on the federal unemployment trust funds—funded by the UI payroll tax—to improve their state UI programs. In a letter to Capitol Hill, AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuel says:
The UI payroll tax is supposed to be dedicated to the UI system, and we strongly believe this revenue should be used to repair a UI system that is now in a state of disrepair.
In addition, legislation to close loopholes and make improvements in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act that requires companies to give workers and communities a 60-day notice of plant closings and mass layoffs is expected to be added to the TAA bill. It would:
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Increase the amount of notice from 60 to 90 days;
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Shorten the triggers for notice of plant closings and mass layoffs from 50 to 25 employees;
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Provide for double back pay and benefits when employers fail to give notice required by the act;
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Give the Labor Department a stronger role in enforcement of the act; and
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Require employers to post a notice informing workers of their rights under WARN.
4 Comments
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So why isn’t the AFL taking some action against the Peru Free Trade Agreement?
http://www.ggjalliance.org/news.php?id=85
For folks in my union (UE), it doesn’t make a difference whether we lose our jobs to Republican-negotiated Free Trade or Democrat-negotiated Free Trade.
The $440 million funding should come from a tax on imported goods to level the playing field between US made goods and imported goods. As it is, companies can outsource jobs to cut their labor and employee costs which raises the companies’ profit and generates huge bonuses for the CEOs for making the company so profitable. A few people benefit greatly on the misery of many others. NAFTA was a huge disaster for working America, yet the Bush administration continues with these stupid treaties that penalize working America for the benefit of corporate America. Didn’t they learn anything from NAFTA? Or did they even care as long as corporate America was happy?
Gee why worry if Hillary has anything to say about it a anti corporation bill won’t get through the Senate - of course Harry the dumb has to finally realize that exporting jobs he thinks are poluting the air to China isn’t fixing the polution problem, it is just sending it to a country with no controls.
Hillary and Harry no there’s a ticket to destruction.
Labor needs to get their heads out of the tails and quit supporting Democrats because they are Democrats instead of holding them to tasks on our issues.
It is good that the TAA even exists at all, but in the current scheme of things, it is just a band aid. The trade agreements and NAFTA have made it so profitable and easy for companies to outsource that there is no incentive for companies to remain at home. This puts all working class Americans at a disadvantage, because even with the increased funding of TAA and improvements with WARN, workers are instantly at a disadvantage by having to retrain for other jobs, if they are lucky enough to get training, and more often than not they will enter the work force with reduced wages, entry level positions and little benefits. The incentives have to come from making it more profitable for companies to stay at home, but this is a superficial reason, for corporate America is greedy at its core. The real incentive has to come from laws that penalize companies for exploiting workers and exploiting this country’s natural resources; I’m talking legally binding commitments that companies absolutely must adhere to. President Bush will not do anything for the average worker, and I fear nothing will be done for the American workers until Bush is either replaced or circumvented by a more pro-active, aggressive Congress. Here’s where the AFL-CIO could make a difference. It must push for strong legislation that protects all workers in this country. Outsourcing should be illegal as long as there are people here able and willing to work, ( and we know there are!), and who must be given a fair living wage.
There is so much that can be done to improve the situation, and the ball is in our court because we’ve got the numbers. Think about it. There is a handful of idiots calling the shots for the rest of us; we can effect change slowly, but surely, as long as we know what is at stake, and what the rules are. Then we work to change the rules.